linageos comes without gapps which are googles preinstalled apps and also some services but many people install them for compatibility. those are not very good privacy wise. i would suggest to use linageos for microg https://lineage.microg.org/ if you need apps that use those google services.
Basically, if you don't use Android wear, or use casting it's really no different imo. microG has come a long way.
Like I said, you sacrifice a lot of convenience. Another option you can check out if you use Xposed is XprivacyLua.
Maps and Waze still work, although I rarely use them.
Going Googleless is a lot of work, but it can be done. I use Next cloud as my cloud service, which I host myself.
https://lineage.microg.org/ Makes it easy to switch. No sitting there fiddling with settings and pulling your hair out trying to get it to work, it just does. My battery life on my HTC 10 is ridiculous. For a two year old phone (replaced the battery last year) this thing is a champ. I'm holding out for the next OnePlus, possibly may be waiting until the next OnePlus is announced.
If you ever have questions I can help.
If think that the simplest solution would be LineageOS with MicroG. MicroG a free (as in freedom) re-implementation of Google Play services. They make their own version of LineageOS (for various reasons, see the FAQ) with only a week delay on the updates and with F-Droid pre-installed.
The advantage is that it supports all the LineageOS supported devices, without the hassle to install GApps or go without them.
Also, I recommend you use Shelter for containerizing non-free apps in the Android Work profile which gives them no access to the rest of your phone.
One of the cleanest, barebones android operating system replacements. Doesn't even come with any google stuff by default. 700mb rom instead of 2.1gb that my OnePlus phone uses.
This version comes with MicroG which will allow you to use some Google apps you may still not be able to live without, like the Google Keyboard, and lets many apps that rely on google push notifications to work again.
This is a great reason people should consider LineageOS with Micro G when buying their phone. Even if you don't want to use it today, you can use LineageOS when your carrier stops supporting your device!
Graphene is a wonderful OS but I don't think it is what OP is looking for here. Graphene is super strict about security and therefore only supports 6 devices. It also doesn't work with microG, which is necessary for running many applications without having google services installed. LineageOS for microG is what I would recommend for a good balance between privacy and usability without jumping straight into the deepest depths of the rabbit hole.
These are just technicalities. AOSP = Android Open Source Project. Any reasonable person knows that manufacturer and custom roms are still Android. What is allowed to be used to publicise something is a different matter.
The point is that the guy is trying to push his product as something completely new that needs investment, when he's just mostly bundling up other people's existing work.
It's essentially the same idea as this but those guys didn't go to Kickstarter asking for tens of thousands of pounds in investment. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
look into microg as alternative to google services. It's an open source alternative that is based on google play services but anonymises your data. If you cannot do without google push for example, this would be your best bet. You don't need to use location data from google any more but can use a locally downloaded file or use mozilla's location backend instead. Lineage does not support microg natively though, so it would be easier to use the fork which is called lineage for microg https://lineage.microg.org/. You need a rom that supports signature spoofing (I use crdroid on my moto g) but lineage for micro g would be my choice of rom now, as it is the most well mainained rom when it comes to android updates.
Latest LineageOS has similar firewall capabilities as CalyxOS. For microG you can grab/build LineageOS with microG support (https://lineage.microg.org/).
If you can't re-lock bootloader, CalyxOS doesn't have much benefits over LineageOS.
r/lineageos bans discussion of some possibilities like microG. r/fossdroid might be better.
I don't know the code names for the G5 but if the phone is officially supported by Lineage then there should be a "Lineage for microG" build available for it at https://lineage.microg.org/ I find that for my G4 Play the build there is a good starting point for running with decreased exposure to Google.
Oops. Just noticed this thread was originally on fossdroid, sorry for the link back to itself. There is a r/microg subreddit but I find that XDA is a better place for discussion and help on that.
Please go and read all 3 of his blog posts.
I'm well aware of how much work can be involved in developing a mobile OS. However, that is far from what he is actually doing. He's bundling pre-existing work from other projects and slapping a fancy name on it.
He's using an existing build of LineageOS for his device, bundling MicroG with it and a few other existing open source apps like F-Droid. This isn't going to take years of development, because there's no development involved in what he is doing, apart from the custom launcher he's having made which could also be using someone else's code for all we know.
Here's a project already doing most of what he's suggesting, without begging for funding. LineageOS for microG
Pico still installs Google Play Services and Play Store. I suggest using the Lineage microG fork. If you need any apps from the play store, use Yalp Store (you can install it via F-Droid). Otherwise, install apps from F-Droid. OsmAnd~ is in F-Droid.
Microg is a FOSS alternative for Google's APIs inside of Android. AOSP is open source, but typically Android ships with Google's proprietary application bundle which provides APIs that many applications use. Stuff like location services.
Despite the 'G' in Microg, it is FLOSS and Google-free.
It's not perfect, but it does provide most the common APIs that apps use that AOSP doesn't provide natively and allows you to use Android google-free.
Microg needs to have a alternative cert installed to allow it to install software outside of the google play store without forcing the user to reduce their security settings. Lineage OS refuses to do this for their OS because it's a useless feature (and thus a security risk) for the majority of their users, which I think is the correct choice.
Most Lineage users are going to bundle Google's apps (Gapps) at flash time or use something like OpenGApps to install Gapps, which is needed for the typical 'Android Experience'.
​
This is about the best you can get FLOSS-wise without making huge sacrifices for the functionality of your phone.
If you want to take it further and be aggressively free software as possible then your best choice is Replicant.
What you see in Yalp Store is MicroG pretending to be Google Play Services. If you have MicroG installed via LineageOS MicroG fork, you should only update via F-Droid. Also you should update to the latest beta MicroG, which is currently Version 0.2.4-105-gf289a13 in F-Droid.
Don't forget the biggest flaw: the OS. Stock ROMs are always BS.
Try LineageOS, it's the currently most widely supported ROM.
Next up: gapps. Do you need notifications? Most apps (from the playstore) don't run their own servers so they use Google's framework. There are 2 choices:
opengapps: It's not open, even with the name. It's Google's binaries repackaged. Don't use this if you want privacy.
microG: A true opensource alternative. Notifications are supported, location provider etc.
LineageOS does not support microG, but they forked Lineage and have a ready to use ROM available here: https://lineage.microg.org/ . I strongly recommend microG if you need anything from Google.
In terms of apps: You already know F-Droid. Ideally you would only use FOSS, but if you need apps from the playstore you can use Yalp. Also available on F-Droid.
If you have any questions just ask. I also second AFWall+, a must have if you deal with playstore apps.
You could use Newpipe or Skytube instead of the native youtube app. F-Droid is a great source for apps because they are all FLOSS. It's installed by default in LineageOS.
If you want to install LineageOS (with microg) your phone does have to be supported. You can check https://download.lineageos.org/ if your phone model is in there. If it is you can download it from the microg website using the name behind the model numer (i.e. Galaxy S7 = herolte). Installation instructions for your specific phone are found on https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ and Micro-G specific instructions (post-install) can be found at https://lineage.microg.org/#instructions.
For backups you could use a variaty of apps or just use ADB from your computer (make sure usb debugging is enabled on your phone).
You can use /d/gapps to get rid of google services if you have root. Many apps rely on google services though and don't have notifications or straight up refuse to open without them installed. There is a open source implementation of google services that is much lighter and doesn't send any data to google servers (unless you tell it to) called microG though. If your phone is supported by lineageOS I recommend installing LineageOS for microG it has microG and everything necessary built into lineageos which is an awesome rom.
They don't do anything new (which is fine, just don't pretend you do), they seem to like centralizing stuff into their own silo (maybe fine if it's standardized services that are easy to switch from and migrate from), they have bad technical practices (prebuilt apks, removing copyright notices from unchanged code)
Use Lineage+MicroG instead: https://lineage.microg.org/
LineageOS itself doesn't support MicroG as it lacks "Signature Spoofing".
Look at Lineage for MicroG and find your device and flash.
If you want a different ROM altogether make sure it supports signature spoofing.
Avant de passer sous ce genre d'OS il faut d'abord se poser la question des usages. Ceci dit c'est déjà super bien de poser la question la plupart des gens ne le font pas.
C'est un système alternatif aux OS constructeurs qui n'utilisent pas les services Google (c'est remplacé par MicroG) donc attends toi a devoir faire des concessions sur certains trucs. Tu utilises quoi comme apps ? Parce que passer sous /e/ et y installer des jeux ou applis pleines de traqueurs du coup c'est pas hyper productif.
Pour parler de /e/ je l'ai essayé sur mon OnePlus 3T et j'ai pas accroché, il y'avait encore des bugs (wifi et appareil photo) et l'interface ne me plaisait pas trop (c'est moins grave ça se change)
Ce que je te conseille c'est d'abord d'essayer LineageOS+microG (dispo ici) sur ton tel actuel. ça te coutera pas un rond et au pire du pire mais c'est rare tu risque de rentre inutilisable un tel que tu voulais changer. Comme ça tu aura un aperçu de ce que peut être en utilisation un smartphone (quasi) libre. Et en cas de problème la commu est toujours dispo !
Mi permetto di consigliare anche LineageOS for microG, ovvero LineageOS con integrato microG, che serve a mimare i PlayServices di Google senza utilizzare software proprietario.
microG permette di sopperire ad alcune mancanze che avrebbe una ROM senza PlayServices, ovvero (dalle FAQ):
Run your Android device with LineageOS microG fork.
> Also, apps which I bought from the play store that require authentication such as Xplore, Nova and Poweramp, will they still verify purchases or not?
Install Yalp Store via F-Droid (preinstalled using the LineageOS fork). Save your log in credentials in Yalp Store, it'll let you download apps you've bought. If you want to buy more apps, you can buy them on your computer first.
> I use Uber a lot so would it work?
Both Uber & Lyft's mobile website is an app basically, so you can just use that through a browser. That's how I use it, but you should be able to use the apps too with microG.
> most of the google apps but I don't know some apps will work or not?
I haven't had issues with apps that need Google Play Services with microG. (personally)
More at /r/fossdroid/ & /r/fdroid/
First: if you don't want to give them your data then I'd recommend to not use Gmail at all, even if it's only your junk mail.
In my opinion you don't have to be that much technical to flash a custom rom depending on what phone you have. So maybe look if there is LineageOS for your phone or even https://lineage.microg.org/
Replacing Play Music should be easy as there a lots of alternatives out there. I wouldn't say the same about replacing YouTube, but using it with an adblocker installed should be enough in my opinion.
Chromecast....I don't know. If you use Chromecast Audio you could replace it with a bluetooth device.
Maps can be replaced with OpenStreetMaps (~OsmAnd for Android).
After replacing those services maybe try not signing in to Google for a week or two and see if you really need a Google account. I deleted mine since I found out that I really don't need one despite having an Android phone and being used to Google products
Es gibt auch Yalp, einen alternativen Client für den Play-Store. Anwendungen, die die Google-Play-Services brauchen, funktionieren meistens auch mit MicroG.
MicroG empfiehlt sich schon deshalb, damit die Geolocation ohne GPS (also über WLAN und Sendemasten) funktioniert. Dafür braucht man noch ein passendes Backend.
If you are willing to flash a custom rom there is a fork of LineageOS with MicroG built in. See here for more info. Your device will be listed using its codename (Cheeseburger) in the downloads section.
Unfortunately you will not be able to use MicroG on a stock rom as signature spoofing capability is required. Stock roms are also odexed so you won't be able to patch the framework to support signature spoofing either.
EDIT. There is an Xposed module called Fakegapps (I think that's the name) but I'm not very familiar with it since I don't use Xposed so not sure whether this could work on a stock rom.
In addition to what others have said if you are using android, root your phone and install copperhead os if your phone supports it, or LineageOS with microg which is basically android, but google is tricked so you can still use android and google services but not be associated with a specific account, or have them control your whole phone.
Here's MicroG on LineageOS. It's a custom operating system for your phone that has all the Google Play services either entirely rewritten or wrapped and isolated in containers. It's a really cool project and works surprisingly well if you've got a compatible device.
It's not compatible with LineageOS by default, it only works with ROMs that support signature-spoofing. The microG devs made their own Lineage build for exactly that reason and it works great.
LineageOS fo microG is developed separately to the LineageOS project
From the LineageOS for microG FAQ:
>Why do we need a custom build of LineageOS to have microG? Can't I install microG on the official LineageOS?
MicroG requires a patch called "signature spoofing", which allows the microG's apps to spoof themselves as Google Apps. LineageOS' developers refused (multiple times) to include the patch, forcing us to fork their project.
Not quite sure how it works, but I think that it would first have to be ported to LineageOS and then the LineageOS for microG project have to release an image containing microG.
No it does not. But you can go with https://lineage.microg.org/ for that setup though. They also explain partly why LineageOS doesn't use microg, as does LineageOS themselves somewhere on their site.
LineageOS only supports using OpenGapps or MjndTheGapps which are actual Google framework, but you can choose to install only the minimal amount.. But it's not as privacy friendly like microg.
Can't say I've ever heard of Graphene, I'm running LineageOS for MicroG, a slight fork from LineageOS, which has a wide variety of supported phones.
I was running plain Lineage with Gapps, but wanted to degoogle, and I've not had any issues so far.
Your best bet for something well supported, actually working and fully fledged at this is probably LineageOS for microG for your particular phone. It's non-Google Android with the Google Play Services replaced with a open source replacement called MicroG.
Then use it with F-droid for open source apps, and then maybe the Yalp Store (available in F-droid) for the few things you can't replace with open source like Banking apps. It has OTA updates and from personal experienced Just WorksTM.
That being said, I really hope that there is more a solid future for Purism Phone/Plasma Mobile/Jolla Sailfish/UBports. But like people said, your phone's software is very much tied to the hardware. I have a Sailfish phone running for a relative who needs a basic phone with a few Android apps, but you kinda learn to live with a few quirks. But that is even only for a select few Xperia XA2 models.
I mean, LineageOS is a good alternative, specifically with microg and using F-Droid instead of Google's Play store.
That said, I know people who choose to just buy an iPhone and be done with it. Checking for LineageOS compatibility and rooting is a bit of a harder sell than simply, "buy this brand instead".
Well, there is Lineage for microG... clearly, it's not really a separate project, but they do a good job of making a LineageOS that is just the way I want it to be, including microG and F-Droid, out of the box, and the updates are as timely as the ones in official LineageOS.
From what I've heard microG still needs to contact Google Services for some few things, but atleast everything is open source so there's no lack of transparency in the communication between your device and Google servers, so it should be safe enough.
I don't really find microG necessary for most occasions. Most apps should work fine without Google Play Services (maybe losing a few features like notifications) except for Google apps themselves and some mobile games that strictly need a Google account for logging in.
Also, microG is a pain to install on LineageOS since you'd have to reflash it everytime you update your device. But, in case you really need microG then there is this LineageOS fork that comes with built-in microG.
Happy to help! If you want to go further you might need to be bit tech savvy (though flashing LineageOS already requires bit tech savviness. But for example using some other email provider than Gmail could be effective, here's some alternatives.
Also using Firefox instead of Google Chrome is good idea. Running Firefox with uBlock Origin extension to block Google analytics etc. is also recommended.
The way you might use Android might require microG (free software implementation of Google services) so you might want to flash this for of the LineageOS instead of the regular one as this one has microG built-in. It provides access to some Google APIs for some apps you might need (for example GCM) while keeping you in control of your data.
Look at all the Google software and services you use at the moment and you will find alternatives for most of them. Ask me if you use something that I haven't listed here yet. Hardest ones could be things like Hangouts, Google+ and YouTube if your social (media) life depends on it, but at least YouTube videos can still be watched privately using couple of tricks.
There is LineageOS MicroG fork if you're interested. It's what I use personally to avoid Google Play Services. Most of my apps are on F-Droid, and I use Yalp Store if I do need a Play Store app.
> if I avoid gapps, how do I get my apps?
https://lineage.microg.org/ + install Aurora Store. Root (look into Magisk, it's really easy) to have one-click updates instead of confirmimg manually each update from Aurora Store.
Be aware some apps will complain (mostly banking apps in my experience, one just refuses to start), but most work fine.
For my phone I use Lineage OS with Microg
AOSP, the android open source project, is open source Linux operating system. However when you purchase a phone with Android on it it includes a lot of proprietary software.
The most important piece of spyware that gets installed on Android is Google Apps (or Gapps/OpenGapps installer). Google apps provide hooks into your Google account, Google location services, Google voice recognition services, Google maps, Google play store, etc.
All that stuff is what Google uses to track you and generate it's revenue.
Gapps is not part of AOSP. It's a add-on that is required for many things to function.
​
MicroG is a open source project that replaces much of functionality when Gapps is not installed. It allows you to run Android and control your exposure to Google. By default it's google-free, but you can install stuff for Google app store and tie the phone to your Google account if you want to.
Lineage OS doesn't support key spoofing out of the box, which is required for MicroG. So MicroG provides their own modified versions of Lineage OS to make it easier. But other Android distributions can install microg.
If you are a very technical person then this is a good approach to gaining a lot of control over your phone without missing out on a lot of reason to own a smart phone.
You have to purchase a phone that supports Lineage and learn how to use Android SDK and such thinsg to root the phone and install your own firmware.
If that is too complicated then Librem is probably a good option. There are other people selling modified google-free phones as well.
It's not as good, privacy-wise, as avoid Android altogether, but it's not bad either.
LineageOS for microG - the project /e/ is based off is a better choice - at least it's up to date. But still, If you are using /e/ or microG to get notifications, those notifications are going trough google.
I love Android and could never switch to iOS but I have become more concious of my privacy the last few months so I've been slowly replacing Google and 3rd party apps that don't respect my privacy with better alternatives and it's a great feeling. I can't stand when people treat it like an all or nothing situation to justify themselves not caring about their data. By doing this I'm not only reducing the amount of information being collected about me but I'm also drastically reducing my dependence on these big companies so that if I ever did want/need to 100% switch away I will have the power to do so immediately and with much less stress. There's a big deference between leaving Google meaning having to find a new email provider vs having to suddenly find a new email, calendar, notes, browser, messaging app, etc, etc.
When my Pixel 3 loses official support I plan on switching to LineageOS for Micro G. I've already installed it on an old phone and it seems great. It's basically Android without all of the Google frameworks built in. It still gives you the option of using Google apps if you choose to but this way, if you don't use Google, you don't have Google tracking you through the base OS. (Basically how it should already be).
I would definitely recommend at least turning off most of the things in your Google account's activity dashboard.
This thread has a lot of good information if you're looking for Google alternatives.
I'm pretty sure you can just flash gapps over your existing ROM but it's been a while, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
If you want to run those apps without gapps then you need microG which is a fork of Lineage: https://lineage.microg.org/
Being a fork means it's essentially a separate system so you would have to install that from scratch and probably can't get support in Lineage forums like this one.
Lineage with Play store spoofing: https://lineage.microg.org/ (so you can still get push notifications from things you install from the Play store) - you don't get such capability in vanilla Lineage, without patching.
Instead of using the Play store, use these app stores: https://f-droid.org/en/ (Comes default in MicroG Lineage, free software/open source apps) https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.dragons.aurora (Download apps from Google Play through Aurora)
I've been running now for a bit with LineageOS with MicroG along NanoDroid to "update" the MicroG layer found in the builtin version inside the LineageOS version found at https://lineage.microg.org/. It doesn't fix the FCM issue. The one app I don't get any notifications is ProtonMail which is a bummer but I can live with.
Oh, several:
That's all I've got off the top of my head.
I replace the entirety of the stock system files with LineageOS, and Google Play Services entirely with microG. (Actually you can just install microGs build of LineageOS, then microG's built in already.)
LineageOS is very nice from a user perspective, and provides good support (security patches &c.)
MicroG gives better battery life than using Google Play Services and doesn't end up sharing all of your information with Google.
AOSP is better than iOS for privacy out of the box. It's when you add all the closed source apps and services it starts going downhill. LineageOS for microg is a good privacy respecting ROM kept in sync with latest microg and linageos weekly builds.
From what I can tell this is exactly like MicroG build of Lineage. The MicroG build has a reverse engineering of the messenger api and the maps api so programs that look for Google's tools can operate without Google.
It also has the F-Droid store as a system app. I've been running it for a few months now and it's really slick.
https://lineage.microg.org/ or perhaps CopperheadOS if you have one of the few models they have the free ROM for. I use microg and without Gapps man I've gotta say the phone FLIES now, lasts way longer and rarely if ever needs a reboot.
Nova is a lifesaver! I'm still rocking my M8 since I got it a month after its release and things are just fine after years of tweaking and a recent switch to Lineage + MicroG.
Despite all the advancement in phones since 2014, it still does just fine for nearly everything I throw at it.
Difference is that Amazon likely collaborates with US intelligence services like most other US tech giants do. It will be much harder for the NSA to use your phone to spy on you if you use say a European phone brand with something like LineageOS (which is even available without any of Google's proprietary software) as an OS.
You might be interested in flashing Lineage for MicroG to a compatible Android device (which is pretty much every device supported by Lineage itself). It's a modified build of LineageOS that supports an alternative to Google Play Services.
Google is much more privacy invading than Facebook, in my opinion. Getting rid of Google is much more difficult than getting rid of Facebook, but it's a path worth pursuing.
You can download your google data from here:
You will see that, expecially if you have an Android phone, they will have a lot of information on you. And this is only what you can see. There is no way to see your "shadow profile" on Facebook. I think they probably have shadow profiles of people not on the social network, but as far as I know it's not proven.
As an android alternative, I personally use LineageOS. You will find that some functionalities will be broken without google services (e.g. location). A more functional and still open source version is LineageOS + microG, a distribution with Google Services compatibility. This will be less privacy friendly though.
> Anything supported by Lineage OS
Even better : microG, if you want to get rid of Google entirely on your new smartphone ("Access all the Google services without proprietary closed software"). To quote LineageOS developers : "MicroG requires a patch called "signature spoofing", which allows the microG's apps to spoof themselves as Google Apps. LineageOS' developers refused (multiple times) to include the patch, forcing us to fork their project."
Lineage w/microg, https://lineage.microg.org/, has builds for many phones. I've been using it on my OnePlus 3T and could not be happier. My battery went from 1 day to 2-3 and not having any Google intrusion is great.
Have a look at the LineageOS for microG that u/darcrayvin linked. I'm running it on my S5 and am very happy with it. Even from a purely technical/user-experience level, my phone is running much better/smoother than it did on a LineageOS-based ROM with gapps.
Easiest way is to flash the LineageOS microG fork.
Or you'll have to do the signature spoofing yourself. Easiest way to activate signature spoofing on ROMs that don't suppose it is to flash nanomod-patcher.
If LineageOS or OMNIrom are supported on your device, you can install the microg versions of them.
Omni provides microg builds alongside their ordinary builds.
LineageOS microg builds can be found here: https://lineage.microg.org/
LineageOS is the official continuation of the legendary CyanogenMod. It's basically AOSP with a few custom things added to it. It includes some customizations and a LOT of optimizations and fixes. Performance and battery life are great and the ROM never crashed on any of my devices. Lineage also cares about security and privacy. This is my ROM of choice since i started using Android devices. Btw if you want to use microG instead of GApps i recommend you LineageOS for microG, it's same as Lineage except it has better integration with microG (and comes with it built in).
You wanna install microg. >>> https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/install-microg-replace-google-play-services-prevent-data-mining-0193787/ There's also a version of lineage that comes with microg >>> https://lineage.microg.org/
Signal can send notifications without Google Play Services or microG, but it uses more battery and requires a permanent notification. You can have notifications through Google with microG which use less battery but go through Google.
ProtonMail requires microG (or Google Services) to send notifications.
LineageOS does not support microG so LineageOS for microG exists, https://lineage.microg.org/. Although it is possible to migrate from LineageOS to LineageOS for microG I would not recommend it as it can lead to issues. Instead wipe your phone from recovery and then flash the LineageOS for microG zip like you did the normal LineageOS one. Lineage for microG updates weekly and all of the changes regular Lineage has. Occasionally there are issues or delays (I exepect when Lineage 17 is released there might be a delay before Lineage for microG 17 is release) but normally it is fine.
I would recommend that you take a look at our wiki, it should explain everything. If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.
LineageOS has official Moto G7 support. You can also use LineageOS for MicroG which doesn't come with facebook pre-installed and also have the F-droid privileged extension on by default. It uses an Open Source G-services implementation, which gives you more control over the services on your phone while still being able to use apps that "require" google services, but don't really.
GrapheneOS only supports Google Devices which cost you an arm and a leg.
Have you heard of microg?
Personally I'm using lineageos4microg, although I've heard good things about nanodroid as well.
For me my apps are
microG is a set of programs that run on any compatible ROM. The list of compatible 3rd party ROMs are here:
https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki/Signature-Spoofing
Lineage for microG is a complete ROM, closely based on LineageOS but bundling a functional microG, that supports a large number of devices, that you can find here:
Since microG runs on more than Lineage, there are more compatible devices than just those supported by Lineage.
Standard questions for a phone recommendation...
What country are you in?
Do you need CDMA? Can you attest GSM band compatibility?
Do you need a 64-bit CPU that can address over 4gb of ram?
> Don't get GApps when you flash unless you want play. If thats the case get the pico zip.
I'd go for microG first, but the LOS for microG fork isn't supported with the Pixel 2 since LOS itself isn't official on it
Mate, it is indeed a deep rabbit hole. =)
If you're going to use MicroG I'd recommend going with MicroGs LOS fork (LOS doesn't want to allow spoofing on their ROMs claiming its due to security reasons while others claims its because they don't want to piss off Google), then you don't have to patch MicroG every time you update LOS (took a while, about 5-10min on my old device on LOS15).
If you're going down the Google free rabbit hole, you get an added bonus with this fork with Fdroid pre-installed as a system app, so it can can auto update your apps.
> I want to be able to just have Google Maps
FYI the last version of GMaps that works with MicroG is ~9.7X.X: https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/issues/709#issuecomment-464791741.
YouTube Vanced comes in two varieties, the root version and the non root version. The root version is a replacement for your YouTube app that blocks ads and enables background playback and keeps the ability able to sign in with your Google account if you use MicroG - where as the non-root version will work alongside the official YouTube app if you wish. The non root version will not let you sign in to your YouTube account but will still enable the ad blocking and background playback. I'm rooted, but I still use the non root version as I don't really care about signing in to YouTube and you don't have to worry about detaching it from the play store to avoid it automatically updating.
GAPPS stands for Google Apps and basically contains the Google apps and Frameworks that don't come bundled with custom ROMs. You don't necessarily need to install them but most do because it allows access to the Play Store and other applications that rely on the Google Framework. You generally won't need GAPPS unless you are running a custom ROM. They come in flashable zip format for use with a custom recovery such as TWRP.
I'll throw this out there for information sake as well, MicroG is an open source replacement for GAPPS (not the apps themselves, but the frameworks it contains). A lot of people don't want to rely on GAPPS because it contains proprietary and closed source API's from Google and is kind of moving away from the open source nature of Android in general - so an XDA member went about creating his own version of the Play services and essential libraries that are open source and allow you to replicate as much functionality as possible. The only catch is, the custom ROM it is running on needs to support signature spoofing.
There is a Lineage fork which has built-in MicroG here.
As far as I know you need Google Play Services installed for ProtonMail to work. Same applies to the majority of the listed applications listed above, unfortunately. I believe the right balance between usability and privacy would be to go LineageOS + microG as suggested, though it could take time and further research for better understanding of what and why you'd do what you'll be doing.
OP can check here if the device has LineageOS with microG already implemented here.
https://screenshots.firefox.com/BgL4m7XUKKZmz5Im/lineage.microg.org
Yup just flash the entire lineageOS with microg.zip for your model and then righ there on https://lineage.microg.org/ I screenshot for you the very little after flash instructions and that's it you're off and running.
So to preface this: this is on behalf of my spouse. [Myself, I don't like or use iPhones or other Apple products. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S5 running LineageOS with microG (i.e. a 'free'-er version of Android with a replacement for Google Play Services). This is essentially the last Android phone that well-supported under LineageOS that has both a microsd card slot and a removeable battery. (The LG V20 is newer and has a removable battery, but still isn't the well supported under LineageOS.) I plan to run this phone, or at least this model (as I'd be happy to buy another one), as long as it's at feasible since it offers everything I want/need.]
My wife prefers the iOS environment to any of the mobile alternatives. Whether this is due to her having started with iOS or something deeper, I don't know. She tried using a high-end Android phone for a few months and didn't care for it. (And, frankly, stock Android is worse than iOS from the standpoint of security and privacy than iOS. [But LineageOS is better than iOS here.])
I think the attraction of the iUP is the notion of just getting the latest iPhone every year with the same terms.
K9 doesn't use play services and/or GCM, so installing them (or microg) wouldn't solve your issue.
Try to set K9 as "not optimized" under battery > battery optimization and see if it helps.
As a side note, the best way to run microg with lineageos is probably to flash https://lineage.microg.org
In my experience it's really hard to remove gaps and play services once they are installed. Save yourself some trouble and install a gappless rom (that allows signature spoofing) and use microg instead of google services. (This one for example: https://lineage.microg.org/)
If you want to de-Google your phone, I suggest LineageOS microG fork. It works out of the box for me. I still use Google Maps though, because I don't really have other good options due to LOTS of traffic & construction in all of my commutes.
From a user experience perspective - not that much. MicroG aims to mimic Play Services as much as possible. I'm running a LineageOS ROM that has it integrated, together with Google's Play Store and Contacts Sync installed from Shadow53's guide and a bunch of Google apps (Gmail, YouTube) installed from said Play Store. So far the only issues I've had are Fleksy complaining about Play Services being too old (the app works fine though, so I just hid the notification) and Google Play Games not working (games themselves are working fine).
From a performance perspective - It takes up less space, uses less memory and lets you configure pretty much every aspect of it.
From a privacy perspective - Though my setup isn't the greatest example, you can release your phone from google, or at least severly limit the amount of data the collect on you, without compromising functionality. There are even alternative app stores that download apps from the Play Store. Ohh and it doesn't poll your location whenever it damn well pleases.
Lastly, when problems do occur, there's an actual way to fix them! Gmail wouldn't work when I installed it, but all it took was a quick google search to reveal that I forgot to enable the "Google Mail" permission. There's a proper community with help and bug threads and proper support channels. No more "Play Services decided to constatly crash. Let's reflash the whole ROM!".
> More than microg, I like that fdroid can install ~software~ apps easier.
More info: I use LineageOS for microG https://lineage.microg.org/ on a Nexus 6 and my favorite feature is that it is easier to install f-droid apps
I used to use Signal, but was a bit turned off from it because of the main developer's attitude towards GCM.
If you need notifications from conventional apps that use the google framework: https://lineage.microg.org/
Same LineageOS but with microG. Look it up.
That might make the transition easier. I can also recommend Libre news from F-Droid for news notifications that do not need google at all if you want to go completely without G
If you don't like how hard LineageOS makes it to not use Google services, and don't want to suffer the hardship from using Replicant, there is now a middle way: The microG-enabled LineageOS fork.
microG is a free replacement for the Google services (gmscore, nlp, etc.) that run on Android phones.
Yes, and I'm avoiding these corporations as much as possible. The problem with you saying "everyone does this" is that people who think like this will not go looking for alternative that don't do this.
For example, you can use this instead of Google: https://www.ixquick.eu/
Or this instead of Google Apps or a Google-distributed Android: https://lineage.microg.org/
I don't know if there's a guide, or a sub for that matter, but I can at least tell you (and /u/HowDoYouTurnThis0n) what I plan to do.
I'll be installing LineageOS (a descendant of CyanogenMod) with microG (specifically this unofficial fork, because the LineageOS team doesn't want to support microG natively) and this gives me a blank, google-free slate to work with. MicroG is an open source implementation of (some of) the google play framework, which will maximize compatibility with apps that rely on that framework. It's not perfect (for example there are likely some things I simply won't be able to do with Tasker, due to missing framework aspects) but it's better than nothing.
I'll be getting apps from f-droid (which only has FOSS apps) and using Yalp Store (on f-droid) to install those few apps I paid for on google play and still plan to use, like Tasker. Yalp allows you to A) access non-paid play store apps through their own dummy account without google services and B) access apps you've paid for by signing in with your own account.
The official page : https://lineage.microg.org/
It's just LineageOS with microG added. It's as safe and stable as LineageOS is. Also there are updates daily, you can install directly from your phone. It's sweet.
You're right, I was being a dick. Sorry about that.
Keeping up with custom ROMs is pretty simple now with most of the big ROMs supporting OTA updates. The only real work needing to be done now is once a year when a new version of Android comes out that requires a full wipe to update a ROM.
And, of course, the people wanting to use fully open source mobile OSes is a niche audience. That seems pretty unfair to compare the user-base of something that niche to the user-base of literally the largest mobile OS on the planet. You can make anything look small compared to the worldwide Android user-base. I was using the term "many" to describe the multiple, very active online communities that are both using and contributing to the FOSS Android environment.
Also, a huge step forward for FOSS Android was made just this morning with the release of LineageOS for MicroG. While it's not fully FOSS, it is a big push to get more people to use MicroG.
People have already given you a lot of info on how to either put LineageOS on your existing phone (although that may require some level of technical skill and availability of a compatible build for your device) or buy a new device that can be degoogled more easily (the Pixel phones have been mentioned more than once here). I've gone both routes myself (used LineageOS and switched to a Pixel / CalyxOS recently) and can say both are perfectly viable.
What hasn't been mentioned here yet is app compatibility. There's a small percentage of apps that relies heavily on Google Play Services to be present on a device. On a degoogled device, these apps might not run as well or not run at all. You should check in advance if any of the apps you rely on (particularly those for your business) will work on a degoogled device. Plexus is a database that will allow you to do just that.
For those apps that just have to have Google services in place, there's microG. It's free software that tries to emulate Play Services, but do so in a privacy-friendly manner by spoofing information so that nothing goes out to Google. You should also consider whether you want or need microG to be present on your degoogled device. For LineageOS, there are specialised builds that include microG. CalyxOS, on the other hand, ships it by default and lets you enable it after flashing.
Any advice depends on your needs.
If you just need a de-googled phone, LineageOS will do. You might even find a build that works on the phone you're currently using, which would spare you buying a new one and prevents e-waste. Note that there are also special builds of LineageOS that include MicroG, which emulates Google Play Services and makes apps work that normally wouldn't.
CalyxOS is a good middle ground between privacy/security and pragmatism. I find it much more stable than LineageOS, but only switched to it once I had to buy a new phone anyway. It ships microG by default.
GrapheneOS has yet more security tweaks and is probably the best choice for people with advanced threat models. I can't say anything on usability, since I've never used it. Apparently it can run Google Play Services inside a sandbox, which should provide app compatibility, but whether this works well enough for daily use I can't tell. Maybe a Graphene user can chime in on this.
Pour iodéOS, le guide est sur leur Gitlab. Si ton téléphone n'est pas dans la liste, je jetterais un coup d’œil en deuxième option à la liste des appareils supportés par LineageOS, et je suivrais leur guide, mais en remplaçant la rom de LineageOS par ce fork qui préinstalle MicroG.
J'ai conscience d'avoir utilisé des termes techniques et brûlé environ 28 étapes si tu n'as pas un minimum d'habitude, n'hésite pas à demander plus de précisions.
Looks like your current phone supports Lineage OS. It is a non Google fork of android. https://lineageos.org/
It doesn't have any Google Play Services in it and that can cause some issues so I'd recommend Micro G. It does a bunch of stuff to trick all your apps into thinking you have Google Play Services. https://lineage.microg.org/
All of this you can run un rooted. I have been using Lineage with Micro G for a year now and it has been great. Honestly it has been less glitchy then when I was using Google Android. Plus my battery life is so much better. Like almost double. You can uninstall any app, you can disable network access on an app per app basis. You can disable all sensors. All of this and Google isn't tracking your every move. It's a bit more work to set up but it is way more private then iPhone.
LineageOS for microG will solve a lot of your problems around push notifications. If you use a Pixel, CalyxOS and GrapheneOS would be also worth a look. /e/ OS also comes with microG that reimplements Push services as Open Source.
Telegram from Github or F-Droid and Signal as a standalone apk with built-in updater (to be found here) come with their own push service, called a web socket. For this to work, it's important to deactivate battery optimization for those apps. But you should really reconsider using Telegram. Signal's creator wrote about it here.
The Aurora Magisk module is responsible for "touchless" app installations, if you don't want to click "install this app" during every app update. Rooting your phone will create the need for quite some maintenance you might want to think about though.
Instead of Google Maps, I like to use Magic Earth, Here We Go and OSMand. For cases in which I need Google Maps, I use it as a webapp (GMaps WV).
Afair, you need to have MicroG enabled at the OS level, meaning: it's useless to just install the apps. There are special LineageOS versions that come with MicroG preinstalled. You can find them here.
Eh, you're better off doing LineageOS with MicroG: https://lineage.microg.org/
The LineageOS devs don't want to support MicroG because of its signature spoofing, but it allows you to more practically run applications from the Play Store without Google Services. Most people with LineageOS then defeat the purpose by installing Google Services.
That said, if you have a Pixel, you're best off with CalyxOS. CalyxOS fully integrates MicroG and Aurora Store, and has you re-lock the bootloader. And for the person that cares only about security, there's GrapheneOS.
That's why I was asking which OS you are on. If you installed MicroG yourself ontop of Lineage, a lot of apps won't work. The Lineage team specifically doesn't want to support signature spoofing for some reason, so you've got to install the fork that has MicroG built in. It's fairly trivial to install the fork over another LineageOS install, as long as the one on your phone is older or the same version.
Oh... That's rough. Sorry you've had such a poor experience. I run lineage with micro-g on my op 8 and it's been nearly flawless, though from what you've said I'm sure you've already tried it.
I would personally opt for microG if you're not going to use GAPPS https://lineage.microg.org , but in general I think it's a good idea to try out the stock rom on a device unless you have specific requirements.
>1. Rooting has nothing to do with flashing LineageOS or microG
I thought maybe I needed to root to install an "official" firmware variant of android before converting over to LOS/MicroG
>2. The instructions you linked are the official instructions for LineageOS, not for microG
I found the instructions here: https://lineage.microg.org/
>3. I am not sure what you mean by flash android 9 on your device
Sorry if I'm not using the correct terminology, as I said, I'm completely new to this and learning. I was hoping to update my firmware manually, officially Motorola didn't push android 9 to the AT&T Z2F (Nash), only the Verizon branded version.
>4. You did not tell us the variant of your device. If it's not listed, it probably won't work (in the best case)
woops: XT1789-05
>>There is a red box right under the table instructions telling you
>Warning: If you follow these instructions on a firmware not explicitly listed as supported for your variant, or a firmware not intended for your variant, you are very likely to damage the device.
OK, I was under the assumption that firmware was the software, and hoping that could be changed as long as the hardware accepts it.
Thanks for your response.
A lineage OS port that actively purges Google apps and products. Using FOSS alternatives.
Easy to harden, but remember you should NEVER rely on someone else to harden your devices.
No no, the original project started with MicroG already. /e/ is a fork of LineageOS for MicroG (https://lineage.microg.org/) with a new launcher and some tweaks.
They took the source code of a project, changed it to display their logos and made a company out of it. They don't credit MicroG or LineageOS at all in their pages.